Review of The Lord of the Rings (1978) by Greg F — 26 Jun 2010

A unique adaptation of (a part of) the Lord of the Rings series, with some really interesting rotoscoped animation, which is not entirely effective, but something different to watch. In some ways, its more faithful the the later Jackson films, but the characters are not as strong.

I really disliked the portrayal of Samwise and nearly a half-wit, which didn't come out in the books at all. Despite the unusual animation style, the movie still falls somewhat flat, with some scenes with the rotoscoping not fitting well with the more typical animation techniques.

What really hurts the film, however, is its abrupt ending, about halfway through the 2nd of the three-book series. Apparently they had planned to continue with a second part that would cover the rest of Book 2 and all of Book 3, but this never happened.

Regardless, it was a really poor way to end a film, even if there were plans for continuing the series. People often complain that Peter Jackson's LOTR endings were abrupt as well, but they don't compare to this film's awkward ending.

If you're a fan of the series though, I would still recommend seeing this film, for its different perspective from the Jackson films.